


Rites of my Homeland

by Pookaseraph



Series: Dimension Home [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Families of Choice, Fishing, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Trope Bingo Round 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 06:31:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pookaseraph/pseuds/Pookaseraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian helps his sister Jet through an important rite of passage from Dimension Z</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rites of my Homeland

**Author's Note:**

> If y'all need a pick me up after Captain America #9, I recommend this.
> 
> For my 'Rites of Passage' square on my trope bingo card which will be forthcoming.

Ian stood on the roof of the Future Foundation with his sister, Jet, at his side, looking out over the Midtown. It had been months since Dimension Z, and several weeks since Jet had decided to accept the Richards's invitation to join them at the Future Foundation rather than home at Avengers Tower. The air was cold, colder than even winters back home in Z, and Jet found it colder still, as she was used to the comforts of Zolandia.

"Hunting season is ending soon," Ian said, feeling sulky. There was a holiday coming up, a giving of thanks, that would soon mark the end of many hunting seasons, and when the last of the food was harvested from the countryside and brought to the cities to be sold.

"This troubles you."

"Have you ever worked the fields?" He asked. His sister shook her head. "Hunted in the wilds of Z?"

"No... I was a Princess. The mutates provided our food. I am not incapable," she protested. "There was simply no need."

Ian didn't hold it against her. She hadn't been raised with Dad and the Phrox, didn't understand everything that it took to survive on her own in the wilds... "In Phroxi culture, you are not an adult until you have provided food for the tribe in a hunt." It was not strictly true, a woman was an adult if she had children, but Dad had always said that it would be allowed that a woman could join a hunt and be considered an adult that way if she did not want a mate.

"But we are not Phrox," Jet answered. "We are humans."

"But we do Uhari things and Moloid things because we are among Uhari and Moloids, and, although we are not among the Phrox, I still honor their Gods because they are my own, although my skin is not red, I was raised with them." Ian had given Jet a _funeral_ , her older vision, the one who had died helping Ian and Dad escape Z, had given her life for them, and Ian had honored her with a prayer for passage to the Fields of Forever.

"I have killed." Her face was still; her voice was hard. "I did not like it."

Ian hung his head. He had killed as well, many mutates to help him and Dad get out of Z. "There must be something... fishing? They die but it is for food, and they are not felled by weapons."

"You wish me to be an adult?" Jet asked, smiling. "I think we are both old, and hardened, compared to many Earthers. Father was not wrong that many of them are soft." Ian opened his mouth to protest her words. " _But_ , that is why we protect them. We will fish, then, if it will make you feel better."

Ian hugged her tight around the waist, and she hugged him in return. It would be good, they would have that moment together, where Ian could see to it that she could provide for her new family with the Foundation, just as Ian had for the Avengers and their Chieftain, Tony.

He spoke to Tony on the topic that evening, after they made a dinner of the bear that Ian had killed two months ago. The meat lasted far longer than it had in Z, but there were fewer mouths to feed. Ian went to find Tony after dinner, and he was in his garage.

"Tony, I need to have a serious talk."

Tony was in the middle of something, as usual, and made him wait almost twenty minutes while he got to a stopping point before putting it away and turning towards Ian. "Alright, buddy, what is it?"

"My sister is of an age where Phrox are to be considered adults."

"Right, and that's deeply traumatic to realize that papers think she's my illegitimate daughter, and I'm old enough for that to be reasonable," Tony answered, before taking a deep breath. "So, what am I doing about this?"

"I believe that a trip to the Man Talk would be good," Ian said, crossing his arms. He had no idea what the Man Talk was, exactly, but his father and Tony had discussed it as a place for fishing in the past.

Tony opened his mouth, and gaped, before he recovered with a deep frown in his eyebrows that left them crinkled even after he stopped. "I'll be honest, I was seriously hoping Sue would field that one."

"But you could teach her about fishing."

"I--" Tony sputtered. "I-- I am not teaching a sixteen year old girl how to _'go fishing'_."

Ian put out his bottom lip, in the pout that he knew always worked on Tony because he didn't like to see Ian sad and he would sometimes do ridiculous things to get him to stop. "But you were going to take _me_ to the Man Talk for fishing. What's different about that?"

"Oh thank you, someone. _Montauk_. Mon. Tauk. Not Man Talk. It's a town out on Long Island. So... you want your sister to catch a fish so she can provide, huh?"

"Yes, it is the most important thing for a tribe, to have hunters who can provide for their families, and Jet has not yet earned her place with the Foundation." Ian wanted to make sure that Tony always knew that he was a good, strong hunter, and would always provide for the Avengers. "I caught my first fish when I was _six_."

"Somehow I don't doubt it." Tony leaned in, and fluffed his hair. "Alright, kiddo, I'll get us a rental and some gear and we'll go out in a day or two, ask your dad and Reed what works best."

It took four days to get everything ready, but once it was, Jet came to spend the night and they left the Tower at 4am while Tony drove them out in 'one of my cars that actually has a back seat'. Ian was wearing a floppy brimmed hat, as was Dad, while Tony was only wearing shades and Jet was not wearing any headgear at all.

Tony had gotten them a boat, with a driver, who took them out into the ocean some, and set them up with fishing poles. _He_ was already a man, so Tony didn't worry much about fishing, just sat towards the back of the deck with Dad, while Dad actually did set up a line and got to work fishing with the two of them.

"Remember," Dad said. "The most important thing, here, now, is to have fun. We'll catch some fish, just relax, take it easy, and it will come."

Ian and Jet, of course, shared a glance that said that they thought Dad was being an idiot. "We'll get you at least one fish to bring to the Foundation," Ian promised. "And one for Tony."

"I don't need a fish," Tony said. "Being fishless is fine. We're still up to our eyeballs in bear and venison."

"Which means," Ian said glowering, "that we need some fish so that everyone doesn't get bored. You should let me have a hydroponics in the Tower."

"Yes, yes." Tony came to join them on the rail. "Figure out what you need, I'll order you the stuff you need. You get to take care of that and then we will have five tons of squash and then I will cry."

"Dad'll kiss it better," Ian answered, giving a little snort, before his line suddenly kicked, the pole jamming him in the stomach. "Ack!"

Everyone was on their feet, and there was something about the moment that made Dad cheer him on, and even Tony joined in, shouting encouragements as Ian tugged and reeled, tugged and reeled, rested, tugged and reeled the fish in slowly, before one of the boat men helped them hoist it out of the water and into a cooler to get taken home.

Jet got her own fish - THREE - by the time they were done, and Ian had two of his own, he didn't even feel a little jealous that Jet had done better fishing, and with the cooler in the trunk the four of them headed back to the Midtown and the Baxter, where Tony very carefully set the fish in Jet's arms, and looked her in the face, very seriously, and said: "Now, you go up to Reed, and you tell him that it's _very culturally important_ that he accept this fish, personally."

"Tony, stop trolling Reed," Dad said, but he didn't say anything to contradict it, so Ian and Jet headed upstairs, and into Dr. Richards's lab.

He was there, looking at a bunch of molecules, but he looked up when he saw Jet out of the corner of his eye, and then his eyes grew wide when he saw her carrying the fish.

"Reed of the Richards, and the Foundation. I have traveled far to the Montauk in order to catch this fish, and others like it, to prove my value and worth to the Foundation, and the Future." Jet looked over at him, very solemn, arms outstretch, fish being offered.

And when Dr. Richards finally took it into his arms, the corner of Jet's mouth twitched, and then Ian snickered, and then a moment later they couldn't stop laughing at Dr. Richards, with his arms stretched to wrap around a fish almost as big as Ian was.

They exchanged high-fives and fled.

"And _that_ is how you become a teenager on Earth."


End file.
